Problems with TiVo mini through Gigabit switch

I just got a Tivo mini to connect to my XL4, but I ran into various issues with my networking setup. Originally I had the XL4 directly wired to a Netgear WNDR3700v2 router, which was wired to a Trendnet TEG-s50g Gigabit switch, which was wired to the Tivo mini. To emphasize, there is no Wifi in the mix. The mini worked immediately after first setup, but every day since then it stopped finding the XL4. The error is "The XL4 DVR cannot be found" with error codes C421 and C422. Each time the mini started working again after a wild combination of reboots and reconnects to Tivo service.
Today I got it to work again by removing the switch and directly connecting the mini to the router. This is not a permanent solution, I have other wired boxes next to the mini that need the connection.

Are there any known issues with the mini and wired switches? Everything is in the same subnet. Any recommended settings on router & switches?

If you continue to have trouble you can always just enable MoCA on the XL4 and use coax instead of ethernet on the Mini to connect to it. If nothing else it will give you another data point to compare against.

I just got a Tivo mini to connect to my XL4, but I ran into various issues with my networking setup. Originally I had the XL4 directly wired to a Netgear WNDR3700v2 router, which was wired to a Trendnet TEG-s50g Gigabit switch, which was wired to the Tivo mini. To emphasize, there is no Wifi in the mix. The mini worked immediately after first setup, but every day since then it stopped finding the XL4. The error is "The XL4 DVR cannot be found" with error codes C421 and C422. Each time the mini started working again after a wild combination of reboots and reconnects to Tivo service.
Today I got it to work again by removing the switch and directly connecting the mini to the router. This is not a permanent solution, I have other wired boxes next to the mini that need the connection.

Are there any known issues with the mini and wired switches? Everything is in the same subnet. Any recommended settings on router & switches?

Thanks,
Alex

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hmmm kinda funny that you bring this up, because I also had issues with the mini connected to a netgear gig switch. Same issues you had, so i ended up using Moca because that's how my Elite is connected to my network so I thought maybe that was the problem. Since then, it's worked perfectly.

Hmmm. Looks like I'll be another test case. I'll be installing my 2nd mini soon and had planned to do so via a D-Link gigabit switch that is bridged off my P4. MoCA is also an option, but the switch is already there for other uses and there is a Cat 5e run from that switch to the TV where I'll be installing the new Mini, so I figured I may as well use it.

Is it just me or is it starting to sound like MoCA is the more reliable connection for Minis?

Is it just me or is it starting to sound like MoCA is the more reliable connection for Minis?

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Yeah it sounds a lot like how DirecTV says their DeCA system is the only way to get whole home and their Genie clients to work, even though many more technically inclined people know that their so called "unsupported" hookup with ethernet works just fine.

Yeah it sounds a lot like how DirecTV says their DeCA system is the only way to get whole home and their Genie clients to work, even though many more technically inclined people know that their so called "unsupported" hookup with ethernet works just fine.

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Nobody is saying ethernet doesn't or shouldn't work. I'm just noting a few data points starting to show up here where people are having trouble with it for whatever reason. Understood that there are other members posting here that aren't having any problems.

I also recall a few articles on the Mini that stated that MoCA was the "preferred" or "recommended" connection per Tivo. But I don't actually see anything to that effect on the support pages of Tivo's website. Everything there seems to say use wired ethernet or MoCA with no stated preference.

I'll be trying it with the ethernet switch first, but will not hesitate to switch to MoCA if I have problems.

Is there any more information what kind of protocols Tivo is using over Ethernet? It seems arbitrary that wired Ethernet is required, because the latest Wifi protocols easily outrun 100-baseT. TiVo must do some creative things on the physical layer of Ethernet to require these limitations, and this also translates into implicit limitations for wired Ethernet hardware. Hubs? Switches? Routers? Tunnelling? Ethernet over power line? Tivo needs to be more clear on what infrastructure is supported. My switch at least seems to be on shaky ground.

Nobody is saying ethernet doesn't or shouldn't work. I'm just noting a few data points starting to show up here where people are having trouble with it for whatever reason. Understood that there are other members posting here that aren't having any problems.

I also recall a few articles on the Mini that stated that MoCA was the "preferred" or "recommended" connection per Tivo. But I don't actually see anything to that effect on the support pages of Tivo's website. Everything there seems to say use wired ethernet or MoCA with no stated preference.

I'll be trying it with the ethernet switch first, but will not hesitate to switch to MoCA if I have problems.

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I agree. That's not why I made that comment. It was more an implication of DirecTV, not TiVo. What I was trying to say was when DTV released their whole home they just decided to limit it to DECA instead of "supporting" ethernet to avoid any customer issues, confusion, etc. Kind of like how TiVo is limiting the mini to a four tuner to avoid unnecessary added tech support woes.

GREENnet technology reduces power consumption when:
Ethernet port is not in use
Connected device is turned off
Connected device is in power-saving mode
Based on Ethernet cable length

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I wonder if the Trendnet switch is shutting down the port, because the Mini has been idle / asleep, and is not recognizing that the Mini has woken back up. You can easily verify this by connecting directly to the Netgear. (edit: ops I see you already did that, and it works). I'd go with replacing the switch.

I wonder if the Trendnet switch is shutting down the port, because the Mini has been idle / asleep, and is not recognizing that the Mini has woken back up. You can easily verify this by connecting directly to the Netgear. (edit: ops I see you already did that, and it works). I'd go with replacing the switch.

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I have since found out that the same errors happen with the direct connection to the Netgear router. I switched to Moca as a last resort, hopefully this will be it. The help text for Moca on the XL4 is misleading, it makes it sound that you can't have Moca and Ethernet at the same time. It seems to work fine, though.

If one has an XL4, and a mini, will the XL4 provide enough (assuming connected to ethernet and the coax) for the mini to be able to use MoCa stand alone, or does the mini also need a MoCa adaptor to work AND have to be connected via Ethernet?

If one has an XL4, and a mini, will the XL4 provide enough (assuming connected to ethernet and the coax) for the mini to be able to use MoCa stand alone, or does the mini also need a MoCa adaptor to work AND have to be connected via Ethernet?

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I'm not sure what you mean by "providing enough" but yes, if your XL4 is Ethernet connected then you do NOT need any MoCA adapters for the Minis, they have MoCA capability built into them. In this scenario the XL4 becomes an Ethernet to MoCA bridge, so that the traffic to and from the Minis is confined to the MoCA connection unless an internet connection is needed, in which case it traverses MoCA, goes out Ethernet from the XL4 and gets to the internet.

The primary advantage of using MoCA is that it offloads the sizeable network bandwidth used by video streaming from the rest of your wired Ethernet network. If you have a couple of Minis streaming it could easily add up to 50mbps or more of constant bandwidth on the LAN.... which may or may not cause issues with your other devices.

The primary advantage of using MoCA is that it offloads the sizeable network bandwidth used by video streaming from the rest of your wired Ethernet network. If you have a couple of Minis streaming it could easily add up to 50mbps or more of constant bandwidth on the LAN.... which may or may not cause issues with your other devices.

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I guess I don't understand this. Ultimately you are bridging MoCA with ethernet through your router so as far as the router is concerned it sees the same amount of IP traffic either way, so I don't see how using MoCA alleviates overall bandwidth.

I guess I don't understand this. Ultimately you are bridging MoCA with ethernet through your router so as far as the router is concerned it sees the same amount of IP traffic either way, so I don't see how using MoCA alleviates overall bandwidth.

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Because when the video streams from the XL4 to the mini, it will ONLY go through the coax cable system between your XL4 and mini (or other Premiere if you have it that way too) using MoCA and not through the ethernet port to your router and home LAN.

DirecTV realized this and other possible extra issues, as well as customer confusion possibilities, and made the business decision to only support DeCA (their version of MoCA) and not ethernet, so the added burden on your ethernet network and benefits of MoCA are real.

P.S. - Just do not hook up ethernet and MoCA at the same time on your mini or you'll defeat the purpose I think.